Birmingham, Ala.-The Central Library's final Cyber Security Made Simple workshop for small business owners will be on October 12. The program is sponsored by the City of Birmingham’s Office of Economic Development and the Birmingham chapter of SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), a nonprofit organization committed to providing mentoring to small business owners and entrepreneurs. The program presenters will be computer specialists from Sawyer Solutions http://www.sawyersolutionsllc.com/, a local IT services company.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, please contact Andy Mayo in the City of Birmingham’s Office of Economic Development by phone at (205) 254-2774 or by email at Andy.Mayo@birminghamal.gov.

Starting and operating a small business has always been a challenging undertaking, but adding to that challenge these days is the 21st century problem of cybersecurity. Frequently, small business owners think that, due to the size of their operations, they will not fall victim to the same kind of data hackers and online intruders that threaten big corporations. A recent survey conducted by Nationwide Insurance Company, however, indicated that nearly 65% of small businesses in the United States have experienced a computer information security breach. Still, many small business owners continue to operate under the assumption that they are not a cyber target and, therefore, do not take the necessary steps to properly secure their IT systems. Unfortunately, the consequences of this oversight can be devastating.

Since forming as an LLC in the Birmingham area in 2011, Sawyer Solutions has provided data security services and consultation to a variety of businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. In addition to security concerns, Sawyer Solutions is also engaged in providing its clients with a full range of IT services, including network infrastructure management, hardware and software maintenance, website design, database construction, and data recovery.

About the Birmingham Public Library
For additional information about the programs and services of the Birmingham Public Library, visit our website at www.bplonline.org and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BPL. The mission of Birmingham Public Library is to provide the highest quality library experience to our community for life-long learning, cultural enrichment, and enjoyment. This system—with 19 locations and serving the community for 130 years—is one of the largest library systems in the southeast.